Why are Young Children Missed So Often in the Census?

The census is at the heart of our political system. Census data are used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds each year,

Data from the 1990 census shows that undercounted children are disproportionately black, American Indian, and Hispanic, and all the evidence suggests they are likely to be poor.

Despite the long-standing problem of children being missed in the Decennial Census, little has been done to examine this issue.

At the local level, the more organiza¬tions such as Complete Count Committees, and Census Bureau partners can get informational materials to orga¬nizations and offices that reach households with young children, the more likely preschoolers are to be included in the census count.